Arkansas' Helen Gurley Brown empowered women through words

Born in 1922, Helen Gurley Brown came from Green Forest and spent time in Little Rock before moving to Los Angeles in 1937.

The big picture: Her 1962 book "Sex and the Single Girl" was, essentially, a playbook for "Sex and the City" writers, giving women advice on careers, financial independence and sexuality.

• It was a hit, selling 2 million copies in three weeks.
• Her follow-up book "Sex and the Office" was published in 1964.

Described as having a "bright, no-nonsense" voice, Brown went on to become editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine in 1965, turning it around, and taking her sense of self and independence to readers monthly until 1997.

She passed away in New York City in 2012.

Poignant quote: "Beauty can't amuse you, but brainwork — reading, writing, thinking — can."

The intrigue: Born in one of the most conservative states, Brown was an early voice in the sexual revolution.

March is Women's History Month, so we'll be highlighting some of Arkansas' best-known daughters.